INTERVIEW: Luke McCarthy of Scourge of Impalement

We here at New Transcendence had a real crush on one of the UK’s finest deathcore chuggernauts, Bound by Exile…or at least I did. Needless to say, after several line-up changes and the break-up that followed, I was absolutely crushed–however, not as crushed as I was by the insane slams and grotesque gutturals of Scourge of Impalement, the slamming death act that rose from Bound by Exile’s ashes. Laden with lurid, intense heaviness and grime enough to coat the listener for days, these gentlemen have all the heaviness of Devourment and Disfiguring the Goddess repurposed into a rampaging, rambunctious behemoth that strikes with ten times the ferocity. What’s even more amazing? The man behind the muck-covered vocals and murderous squeals is a big Kings of Leon fan. Read on for this exclusive interview with Luke McCarthy, vocalist of Scourge of Impalement.

Connor Welsh: Well, for starters—and for the fine folks reading this that aren’t familiar with you or your latest endeavor—who are you and what do you do? Tell me a little about yourself!

Luke McCarthy: I’m 19 years old and have been doing death metal vocals since I was about 15. If I’m not writing music with Scourge Of Impalement I’m either working on a graphic novel or kickin’ it to some Kings Of Leon.

CW: So you did some sick vocals for Bound by Exile—now you’re in a new project, Scourge of Impalement, which sounds pretty insane. What’s the reason for the change, and what do you think Scourge of Impalement will bring to the table that Bound by Exile didn’t or couldn’t?

LM: Thanks man, really appreciate that! We wanted to pursue a more Death Metal approach with our material, we had some songs completed but we just felt that it was too much of a drastic change to release through Bound By Exile’s name. In regards to the direction were taking with scourge, we’re much more passionate and Confident about it. We’re all huge fans of Death Metal (more so bands Like Devourment, Suffocation, Visceral Disgorge etc) so it just feels natural to start a fresh and work on a new project.

CW: A lot of the lyrical content from Bound by Exile’s material was relatively personal—driven by betrayal and bitterness, so on. What can we expect from Scourge of Impalement’s lyrics and themes? What are your biggest lyrical influences?

LM: Most of Bound’s old material was written by the previous vocalist, so a majority of the lyrical content was from his experience. The tracks I did write heavily revolved around detestation and depravity, At that particular time in my life my I became extremely negative and bitter, so it reflected through the lyrics a lot. I’m a huge fan of Trevor Strnad’s lyrical content, he grasps these dark and fantasized stories and executes them flawlessly, so with Scourge I’ve gone for a more gory and cataclysmic theme.

CW: Speaking of influences, who are your top three most influential vocalists? If you could have the vocal cords of any one frontman, who would it be and why?

LM: Damn that’s a tough one! Top 3…hmmm. I’d have to start with Cameron Argon. He’s incredible in my opinion, A HUGE influence to me vocally. Second I’d say Matti Way! He has some absolutely ridiculous vocal patterns and always brings something insane into any project he’s involved in! Third would without a doubt be Phil Bozeman. His pronunciation and anger are unmatched.

CW: Following from that, if you could see any three bands—still functional or long dead—play a show together, which ones would you throw down to?

LM: For me it’d be Kings Of Leon, Big Chocolate and Katy Perry. I’d be at that regardless where it was!

CW: What can we expect from Scourge of Impalement’s upcoming material? Especially for fans of Bound by Exile’s music who might be anxious about the change.

LM: You can expect Ridiculous slams, A shit tonne of Guttural vocals. A lot of blasts and some fuckin’ killer Guest vocalists. I expect a lot of people will find something to complain about, but in all honesty, we couldn’t give a fuck. We’re not writing material to gain respect or popularity.

CW: Are there any approximate dates you might have outlined for a release?

LM: We have no official date scheduled, however we are mid way through the album and oh hell is it sounding intense. It’ll be worth the wait.

CW: Finally—one more fun question and we can wrap it up. If you could watch any two celebrities mud wrestle a kangaroo, which celebrities would you choose?